© Gay Ann Rogers, 2008 -–2020
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Website updated
November 26, 2020
Above is the map of how far Queendom Website has traveled,
nice for MacSoph and me, but doubly nice because it shows that needlework is indeed alive and well right round the world.
In my next life...
Here is who I want to be.
Isn't he beautiful?
My only problem with turning into him:
I dont want to be a man.
My World of Needlework
EWeek 2020 has closed and I have finished packing and sending packages.
As your packages from EWeek arrive on your doorstep, will you please check the contents and make sure that you have everything.
You have until December 19 to report shortages and mistakes. After December 19 you will be on your own.
Audrey Francini
Sadly, I learned yesterday that our needlework world has lost Audrey Francini, long my choice of The Best Stitcher I have known.
We in the needlework world know people with inspiring technical skill who struggle with line and color. We also know the reverse, people with artisitc flare who lack the precision of the careful technician. It is easly to understand why the freedom of the artist rarely combines well with the discipline of the technician and I have known only one needlewoman who is master of both: Audrey.
Audrey was not involved in artistic endeavors in her early life, It began when her two children were in high school and her husband Albert suggested they take a painting class together. Albert soon dropped out but Audrey’s interest grew. After several classes she became a Sunday painter with headquarters in the basement.
At some point around 1970 Audrey started looking for a form of needlework to move her hobby out of the basement and allow her to spend her evenings with Albert. She discovered a crewel class and she loved it. When the teacher moved away, Audrey took over teaching the class and then went on to teach crewel at the Farmington Community Center and at Greenfield Village — Henry Ford Museum. One of Audrey’s students belonged to EGA and asked Audrey to teach at EGA's 1972 Dearborn Seminar. Audrey went on to teach at EGA seminars until 1998. In that time she was a fixture at EGA.
In the early 1980's Audrey found Japanese embroidery, studied the art form and went on to make it her own; from that time on her work was in silk.
I became friends with Audrey over the years that I taught at EGA Seminars. She was a quiet and gentle person with a raspy voice and an unparalleled skill with a needle. Her life was a long one, if she had lived until December 22, she would have been 104.
At first I was so sad, then I had to smile: after her EGA years Audrey continued to teach and she stitched almost every day. 103 years, many of them with her needle in her hand.
To my way of thinking, a joyful life well spent.
Below is the link to a video about Audrey to celebrate her 100th birthday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP9qqbnj04k
The video includes many of Audrey's embroideries.
